Providence

Michael Cimarusti’s fine dining seafood restaurant is a tasting-menu-only affair, and those tasting menus ain’t cheap. But a little-known way around that sort of investment is the small bar located off the foyer, where you can order à la carte from the menu. Because the restaurant is so exclusive, barely anyone thinks to come here to hang out at a bar, so it’s likely you’ll have the place to yourself, save the besuited waiters rushing back and forth, and the occasional group waiting for a table. But the drinks are fantastic, and the bartenders are old-school pros.